The U.S. House voted Tuesday to make daylight saving time permanent, approving legislation that would end the twice-a-year clock changes observed across most of the country.
The Sunshine Protection Act passed 308-117 and now goes to the Senate. The White House supports the measure and said President Donald Trump’s advisers would recommend that he sign it if it reaches his desk.
The Senate has not scheduled a vote.
If enacted, the legislation would prevent most Americans from setting their clocks back one hour each fall. Daylight saving time would remain in effect during the winter instead of ending on the first Sunday in November.
The change would not create additional daylight. During the months now spent on standard time, sunrise and sunset would occur one hour later according to the clock. That would provide more evening light while leaving school bus routes, work commutes and other morning activities in darkness later in the day.
States would be allowed to opt out if their legislatures acted before the federal legislation was enacted. Hawaii and most of Arizona, which do not observe daylight saving time, could remain on their current schedules.
Supporters said ending the clock changes would reduce disruptions and provide more daylight during the hours when families, customers and businesses are active.
Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., said Americans were ready to “ditch the switch.”
Bilirakis said changing clocks twice a year creates disruptions and that later sunsets would give families more time outdoors while supporting tourism and other businesses.
“In my home state of Florida, where tourism is a cornerstone of our economy, having more predictable daylight hours is a practical improvement that benefits workers, businesses and visitors alike,” Bilirakis said.
Opponents focused on the effects of permanent daylight saving time during winter mornings. They said children could be waiting for school buses and workers could be traveling before sunrise.
“Millions of Americans will wake up during the winter months in complete darkness with the sun not rising until long after people get up and travel to school or work or have to go about their days,” said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa.
Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., supported the legislation but questioned whether it should have been a congressional priority as families face housing, grocery, utility and health care costs.
“For folks getting crushed by rent, groceries, utility bills and health care costs, is this really the best the majority can do?” McGovern said. “Is this really the most pressing issue before the American people at this moment?”
A 2025 poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that most Americans wanted to end the clock changes.
When asked to select one year-round schedule, 56% of adults chose daylight saving time, which provides more evening light. About 4 in 10 selected standard time, which provides more morning light.
Medical organizations also support ending the twice-yearly clock changes but have disagreed with making daylight saving time permanent.
The American Medical Association supports permanent standard time. The organization says morning sunlight is more closely aligned with human circadian rhythms and has cited research linking clock changes with cardiovascular events, mood disorders and traffic crashes.
Congress has considered proposals involving daylight saving time for years.
The Senate passed a similar bill by unanimous consent in 2022, but the measure stalled in the House before that Congress ended. The House vote Tuesday reverses that sequence, leaving the Senate to determine whether the proposal reaches the president.
The United States has used permanent daylight saving time before. Congress imposed it during World War II and reinstated it in January 1974 during an energy crisis.
The 1974 experiment was cut short following complaints about winter sunrises and concerns about children traveling to school in darkness.
The House vote does not change the clocks by itself. The Senate must pass the legislation and Trump must sign it before permanent daylight saving time can take effect.
Unless that happens, most of the country will continue changing clocks twice each year.
